⇨ DANGEROUS ENCOUNTERS

[ringleaders]

Who: Anyone out in the library.
When: Day 59
Where: The Athenaeum
What: Towards the end of the visit, we are visited by a series of worrisome NPCs, who may or may not be illusions. There will be at least 5 NPC toplevels posted overall, all happening in a similar time period ICly (in rough chronological order), so not everyone needs to be in every thread.
Warnings: Possibility of very real danger to anyone who participates. Remember that Sans has told everyone to travel in groups, so if you aren't, you'll probably get a scolding later.

TURNING THE PAGE↴ As the carnival continues to explore the Athenaeum in the pursuit of more information about the legendary Miracles, the tension is thick with the knowledge that the Summer Court could be in pursuit any day now. On Day 59, a series of threatening encounters will begin manifesting - but are they real, or an illusion?

Comments

[stompadour]

Jasper is about to say something ridiculous like 'I've never had a friend in my life, how dare you,' but then Peridot grabs her by the hair, making her let go of the crow, which promptly returns to doing its best to prise her gem off her face.

"AUGH," she snarls, smacking it away with such indignant force that it smacks against the wall and is reduced to smoke.

"I don't care what she is," she snaps, "I'm not going to just stand here while she reads!"

[periphrasing]

The dragon lets go of her hair, but. Only to headbutt her. In the butt. "Jasper just SHUT UP and let the rest of us handle this!" she snaps in a low voice. "That's an order!"

[whattaprick]

"I mean, she did break a magical boar's neck with her bare hands," Lambert mutters. "Maybe we should let her try."

But smartass comments or not, his eyes are on the count, though he's a little surprised when the Warden skids in, too. That makes four of the supervisors in this room now, which is either a really good thing, or a really bad one.

"I don't think the Winter Court is really into light reading." He eyes the book, but its probably too much to hope he can read its title from here. The last time he saw the Count, he hadn't exactly been himself, so there's exactly zero useful knowledge he can have to speculate on what brings him here, except the surety that it's something self-serving.

[npcarnival]

Finally, the book is snapped closed. Dismissively tossing it to the side, the Count lifts his head to address everyone for the first time since they entered. His voice is a low drawl, displaying some amount of disinterest in the hijinx currently unfolding.

"Welcome to my Elysium," he says, leaning back in his chair. "I've brought you here so that you might plead your case. In a matter of speaking."

On the tops of shelves and beneath every shadow, the eyes, feathers, and beaks of crows can be seen, lurking. It's almost as if the darkness itself is comprised of them.

[atouts]

Since Peridot had dragged Jasper away, Childermass had fallen into watching the Count intently again. Waiting, almost hoping he would just carry on ignoring them and maybe, just maybe they could walk away, back through the shadows. Tough luck, apparently.

So, of course, he steps forward when the Count announces that. The glittering eyes watching all around them from the shelves are infinitely less intimidating than the man on the throne, meaning Childermass ignores them for now. He's used to them... or was used to them. Either or.

"Our case for what?"

[worldlyafflictions]

"--gyah!"

That causes at least one more to stumble out of the shadows, the 'invisibility' he'd pulled over himself on reflex dropping now, as hiding in the shadows becomes even more harrowing than it was.

[stompadour]

Jasper growls under her breath, glowering fiercely at Peridot. She wants to make demands, but... Peridot, unfortunately, is a Supervisor. They're practically all Supervisors. Letting everyone else handle this is basically her only option.

She is so mad.

[flashover]

And by hiding behind Shima, Rin figured he would be obscured, too. It kind of worked. Or maybe it didn't. But it doesn't actually matter, because Shima has made himself known.

".... Gyaaaah! Are these... are these shadow birds?!"

Crows. Shadow crows.

"... The Count!! Oh no!"

[periphrasing]

"Shut up, both of you shut up!" Peridot hisses urgently, baring her teeth at both Rin and Shima. She's torn between scolding them and keeping her eyes on Childermass, who she really, really hopes that he knows what he's doing.

[npcarnival]

"I see I spoke too soon," the Count says, clearly unimpressed. He regards Shima and Rin with the mildest of irritation before looking to his son, the only person to ask a sensible question thus far.

"You have found yourself in the middle of a battle between Courts... perhaps for the second time. The question is, what will you do about it?"

[scientificist]

"Leave?" Herbert mutters hoarsely--if hopefully--from the floor.

[atouts]

Sorry, Peridot, he doesn't so he's just playing it all by ear. They're probably doomed.

"We would go on our way, I think, out of your way," Childermass answers honestly, at least. He looks back towards the rest, frowning at Shima and Rin as they stumble in, though less out anger and more out of adding them to this entire consideration.

"These ones, at least, are owned by a fae unaligned with either Court. They are better left to their master."

Why bother with someone else's tools, right?

[stompadour]

"Ask her about Lapis," Jasper says to Peridot in an urgent whisper.

[osteothropy]

Sans isn't very good at talking in this form, so he will get his point across with a huge, doggy style facepalm.

[periphrasing]

Peridot is literally opening her mouth to say something about Lapis, when. Jasper tells her to ask about Lapis.

This pisses her off more than words can possibly describe.

She finally changes out of her dragon guise, seeing no need (for the time being) to keep exerting herself by casting that particular spell. When she comes back to her regular form, she... well. She looks like shit. She's exhausted and beat up, but she still takes a stubborn step forward, eyeing the Count warily. "One of your court stole my best friend," she says, voice cracking. She looks petrified. "I'm not going anywhere until I get her back."

[npcarnival]

"And yet," he says, "You have all been observed aiding the Ringmaster in her attempt to collect weapons of war. That hardly sounds like the actions of uninvolved parties."

He looks at Peridot for a few moments afterward, processing her words.

"So, I ask you again: what are you doing to do about it?"

[atouts]

Childermass is momentarily distracted, glancing back at Peridot. Lapis was what now? Another Winter fae is around? Which means the Count may already have one of their own-- or are they their own creature, unaffiliated?

"We do as we are told," he makes that case instead, turning back to the Count. "Which includes searching a library, that is true. If you wish to know what the Ringmaster intends, though, you will need to ask her, not us."

There's a brief pause after that, followed by an addition, Childermass repeating Peridot's question, just in another way.

"Both Courts are here beyond only yourself, aren't they? Has another faerie of Winter taken one of our people?"

[whattaprick]

It's an odd question to ask. Lambert's happy to let Childermass do the talking, recognizing even now that he's definitely not equipped to handle this conversation on any level, and still half-expecting a fight.

Peridot speaks up then, though, and he looks at her incredulously. Is this really the time? Does this guy look like he gets involved in staging fake drownings to lure people into the water, or at least inclined to seriously answer that?

Whatever he's trying to furiously communicate with his eyebrows, it goes entirely ignored. His ears prick at what the Count says next, tail lashing as he scowls at Childermass's response. Way to make them sound like stooges without brains of their own! But if there's a right answer the Count is looking for here, that will keep them out of trouble fuck if he knows it.

with permission from mote!

[flashover]

Weapons of war...? Did he mean the Blue Rose? Rin feels the need to open his big mouth.

"Hey, we're not planning on waging any war! We-- MMPHH!"

Shima, thankfully, claps his hand over Rin's muzzle to keep him from saying anything else. Rin struggles and thrashes his tail. "MMMPH MMGH MMM!"

Also, come on Lambert; he DEFINITELY looks like someone who would stage dramatic fake drownings. Look at him.

[npcarnival]

Rin receives a curious glance, but no more than that. The Count is obviously not the sort to react to things in any major way. He focuses on the other question instead.

"I expect so," he says. "And I expect that if you are going to see any of them returned, you will have to be a bit more forthcoming."

[stompadour]

Jasper takes a step forward, one hand forming a fist, before remembering she has orders and staying shut up. She wants to fight the Count, though. She wants to fight him so bad.

[periphrasing]

Peridot is determinedly ignoring whatever look Lambert gives her. He obviously doesn't get it. All she knows is that Lapis is missing, and she needs to get to the bottom of it one way or another. Asking the head honcho of the court in question seems like a good place to start to her.

"Maybe if you actually told us what it is that you ACTUALLY want to know, you might get a direct answer?" Peridot growls.

[whattaprick]

'I expect so'? What kind of a half-assed non-answer is that?

"And it'd help if you actually knew who has them," is what Lambert mutters, cocking his head as he narrows his eyes. Something isn't adding up about this, but he can't quite put his finger on it.

He called it his 'Elysium,' with emphasis. Is that supposed to mean something?

[atouts]

"He wants us to justify our actions," is the best explanation Childermass can offer Peridot, this time not looking away from the Count as he says so. He doesn't expect the Count to like whatever answer they give, but let's see how much he can offer without, like, actually answering shit.

"Count, we only search for what we have been told to search for, it is the honest truth." There's no real lie there. "A way to defend ourselves from the Summer Court. They have been following our mistress since Portland for ultimately foolish reasons."

Wanting your fake kid back qualifies as foolish, sorry Steven.

[npcarnival]

The Count certainly doesn't call Childermass wrong in his assessment, so it's as good a guess as any. The way he addresses the group does seem to assume some crime committed on their part, that he is asking them to atone for.

"Your explanation is ingenuine," he says, tone especially cutting, just for Childermass. "You claim ignorance where there is none, and you leave out parts of the story inconvenient to your plea."